New Democratic Party response to Question 1

Question: What are your party’s plans to fund public transit in Canada and in Calgary?

Answer:
Tom Mulcair has made quality public transit a high priority in this election. The transit infrastructure backlog is growing, with tens of billions of dollars in new investment needed to reduce congestion, improve productivity and keep our cities moving. That’s why the NDP will tackle gridlock and cut commute times by creating a Better Transit Plan that will invest over $1.3 billion annually over 20-years in predictable, stable, and transparent funding for public transit. This means that the City of Calgary will receive dedicated funding each year totaling approximately $1.5 billion over the next 20 years. The NDP is also proposing to increase transfers to Calgary through existing Gas Tax Fund which the City can dedicate for transit if that is the City’s priority.

Question: Should your party form government, will you honour the Federal Government’s commitment of July 24, 2015 to fund The City of Calgary’s Green Line LRT project?

Answer:
Yes. Our commitment is to remove partisan interference from Ottawa in transit planning at the local level. Our dedicated transfers will allow the city to determine its own priorities and plan long-term without the risk that Ottawa will back away from commitments. The NDP’s Better Transit Plan will transfer approximately $1.5 billion over the next 20 years, which will be enough to cover the complete federal costs of the Green Line LRT. Our increased transfer through the Gas Tax Fund will allow Calgary to invest in other transit priorities as well, or dedicate the funding to other local infrastructure.